WARRIORS MIDSEASON REPORT / Deal Before the Deadline Is Warriors' Only Prayer

David Steele

Published
4:00 am PST, Thursday, February 5, 1998

THE WARRIORS had just suffered another humiliating and dispiriting defeat, a 27-point pounding at home by the Utah Jazz. Because just as much attention had been paid to off- the-court matters as those on the court in the previous week, the question was raised in the locker room of whether the Latrell Sprewell situation had played some role in the most recent loss.

Bimbo Coles' expression was first blank, then quizzical. "No," he said, "it's been like this before."

A lot of times before, in fact. It's been like this all season. It was like this in training camp, during the exhibition season, before Sprewell attacked coach P.J. Carlesimo and afterward. More than two months after Sprewell played his last game as a Warrior, the team is what it is, and it's not that different from what it was.

After Tuesday's loss to San Antonio, the Warriors' record at the All-Star break is 8-37, second-worst in the NBA ahead of the the Nuggets. The Warriors are on pace for a 15-67 finish, the most losses in the franchise's 52-year history.

As easy as it would be to put all the blame for this train wreck of a season on Sprewell and his crude act of December 1, it would be unfair. When the animosity between Sprewell and Carlesimo went public during a game against the Lakers November 9, the Warriors already had lost their first five games, in addition to seven of eight in the preseason.

Even with Sprewell fifth in the NBA at 21.4 points a game when his contract was terminated, the Warriors still had the second lowest-scoring and second worst- shooting team in the league -- and at 1-13 were being outscored by an average of 15.8 points a game, at the time a league-record pace.

Since then? Besides a run of six wins in 12 games in December, the Warriors have been just as wretched. After Tuesday's loss, they were last in the NBA in scoring at 87.1, nearly two points behind the rest of the league. They have lost 18 of their past 19 games, including the third-longest losing streak in team history at 14, and they had fallen below 100 points in 24 straight games.

The less said about the pre- and post-Sprewell Warriors, the better. What matters now is the pre- and post-trade deadline Warriors. Carlesimo and general manager Garry St. Jean said almost from the day they took over last summer that the team they inherited would bear little resemblance to the team that might finish the season. The window for making such changes this season -- and for giving the team any hope for a bright future -- closes two weeks from today, at the February 19 trade deadline.

Carlesimo, who has the final say on personnel moves, talks like someone who has not let the complete collapse of the season drastically change his plans. "I don't think our mode is any different. It's not like, 'Yes, we've had more chance to look at people,' " he said. "Our motivation has been constant. We will do something, if it makes sense. I don't think we are more anxious to do anything than we were.

"We may end up not doing anything. But I don't think we're in a different mode than we've been in for a long time."

If they didn't accomplish improving the team with their deals so far, they at least gave themselves a chance to do so next season: four of their acquisitions (Brian Shaw, David Vaughn, Muggsy Bogues and Dickey Simpkins) can become free agents in one way or another after this year. Again, the prospect of the Warriors being able to attract top free agents this summer is seriously in doubt, but at least they will have the cap room they did not have at the end of last season.

And, at least Carlesimo has not yet developed a track record of insanely one-sided trades, as previous administrations had. He still has a chance, though -- Joe Smith remains their biggest bargaining chip, and how they use him will play a major role in how this team is rebuilt, as well as how Carlesimo and St. Jean are perceived as dealmakers.

Besides that, the Warriors can smile about the surprise improvement of Donyell Marshall, the development of Tony Delk at guard, the progress of rookie Adonal Foyle after being set back by a broken foot last summer, and the emergence of second-year center Erick Dampier, the key player the Warriors got in return for Chris Mullin. Dampier's development can be measured this way: He is the only player the Warriors absolutely refuse to discuss in trade talks.

Everyone else is fair game. Which is how it should be for an 8- 37 team.